What happens in California
by DarkHorseAsh
Summary: When one of the West Wing Staffer's past comes out, will their friends stand by them or will they be lost back out into the world, again.
1. Chapter 1

"PARKER SMITHSON!" CJ roars, stalking down the hallway doing a remarkably good resemblance of a Lion. The teenager in question, who had frozen when she had yelled her name, now took off, scrambling away from her as fast as his thin body could take him. CJ curses angrily, spinning around till she finds the first person she can yell at; Toby Ziegler. She stomps over to him, causing Toby to raise his eyebrows in amusement, even though CJ is clearly furious as hell about something that probably isn't funny. "I want you in my office and I want you there now." Toby considers this for a moment, tempted to point out he outranks her, but then decides against it because he actually wants to know what the hell all of this is about. CJ absolutely STALKS back to her office and Toby actually bites his lip to keep himself from mentioning that perhaps she should take up a career as a lion trainer. The moment he has crossed the threshold into her office the door behind him is being slammed shut, leaving Toby staring in absolute bewilderment at CJ. "CJ, pardon my language but what the hell is going on?" He demands, confused by the very unlike-CJ behavior that CJ was doing right now. She plops down behind her desk, shoving a newspaper towards him. "How the hell did he not tell me!" She yells. Toby sighs, takes two steps forward and firmly grasps the paper, bringing it back to rest on his lap as he sits and opens it to the article that has circles and exclamation marks around it, chuckling softly. But the article leaves him so angry he can barely see straight, even if he doesn't think that it's for the same reason as CJ is angry. _The White House has often been accused of poor hiring practices, with drug addicts and alcoholics strolling through it's corridors. These accusations have always been met with pure hostility but surely no one can argue when you see that The White House is now hiring the scum of the earth to work inside it's walls. Parker Smithson, a 19-year-old child prodigy who works in the communications department, was just discovered to be harboring the secret that it is not, in fact, a_ _ **man,**_ _but was, instead, born FEMALE. How can our government function with freaks and despots calling the shots? More on page five_. Toby slams the paper down on the table and tries to lesson the raw anger coursing through every inch of his being.

Across the building, the nineteen-year-old prodigy (he never let them call him that but they had all seen his transcripts and knew how true it was) was fighting against the tendrils of panic swelling up in his chest. He was still wandering the halls, slowly working his way back to Sam's office. Sam takes one look at him and ends his conversation with his secretary, following the smaller man back to his "office." It was really just a closet, with a desk in the back behind the many boxes stacked around the office. It had been a storage room but Sam had decided that Parker needed an office so he had made room for the desk. He sits down on one of the boxes, nodding for the young boy to sit next to him. He does, gratefully, turning his head into the older man's shoulder as he struggles to hold back sobs. Sam wraps an arm around him, muttering softly to the teen as he rummages in his pocket with his other hand to text a short message to another person, a friend of theirs, before pulling both himself and Parker to the ground so they are sitting with their backs against the boxes. Sam wonders, not for the first time, what was IN all of these boxes, before turning his attention back to Parker, pulling the young man closer if at all possible in a failed attempt to keep him anchored, humming softly until Parker's struggling, gasping breathing has softened slightly, quieted, glancing over at the door when Danny Concannon lets himself into the room. He sits down on the other side of Parker, resting one hand gently against his back. Parker flinches slightly then relaxes as soon as he realizes that it is Danny, shifting so he is sitting up straighter. "You shouldn't be here if CJ catches you she will be even more mad, Danny." Danny shrugs, clearly not caring. "I don't give a damn and you know it, kid, so spill." Parker actually whines, causing both of the taller men to shift closer as if their bodies can shield his smaller one from the world even though they've both tried and failed and know that that it won't work but they still won't give up trying. "CJ was pissed as hell at me and I think...what if she knows, guys. What if she found out." He whines softly. Sam stares down at his hands, silently breaking for the smallest of their numbers. _He doesn't deserve it damn it Danny or I could handle it better than he could!_ The boy is blinking with exhaustion and Sam is reminded that the reserved teen had barely slept the night before when he feels Parker's head slump onto his shoulder. He eases the young boy down, pulling a blanket off the top of a box and tossing it over him, getting Parker's head in his lap so he can gently run his fingers through the jet-black hair to soothe the boy. Danny is watching, one of his hands silently resting on Parker's wrist. "I'm going to go, he's right if CJ catches me here I'm going to get yelled at and it's not like that would help anything. I'm going to go catch some rumors in the press room I'll text you tell you what I hear." Sam nods, watching the man go before leaning against the boxes, reminded that he hadn't really slept well the night before, either.

Toby is pacing in circle, eyes locked angrily on CJ. "I really don't see why this matters, CJ. He's a nineteen year old kid who we already know nothing about it's not like he purposely hid this he just...never told us." Cj slams a hand angrily against the table, and if it was anyone other than Toby, the figure across from her probably would have flinched. "The media will have a field day, Toby, and god, the kid isn't ready for this he's a KID for goodness sake he should never be subject to this!" Toby nods in agreement, sighing as he leans back against the seat. "Is there any way that this won't be a big thing?" CJ doesn't even dignify that with a response, standing again so she can pace angrily around the room, snapping out furious sentences every other second and Toby realizes that the woman isn't truly mad at Parker, not really, she probably can't bring herself to be it's hard to be mad at someone who is basically a kicked puppy dog with his golden eyes and jet-black hair and a body that moved as if it was five times his actual age, the haunted look in his eyes leaving Toby wondering what such a young figure could ever have seen to cause that much brokenness and Toby just wants to tell CJ to protect him, damn it, to protect him. But he doesn't, can't. Toby has no idea how long it has been before CJ stops ranting and pacing and stalking, only interjecting the occasional comment. "He can do it, CJ. He's a damn good writer, and a speaker, and literally the smartest person who I have ever met." CJ nods, not looking convinced. Toby moves to stand, too. "I'm going to go find him. He's probably with Sam, they're pretty close. You got any idea how they knew each other before this?" CJ shakes her head, looking somewhat surprised. "They knew each other before the kid got this job?" Toby nods, stalking out of the room and crossing the floor to Sam's office. He's fairly surprised when he sees that there is nobody in the room so he stalks down the office to the door right next to Sam's office, opening it. He almost speaks, but then doesn't, smiling slightly at Sam and Parker, both of them asleep. Sam stirs when Toby moves to sit across from them, causing Parker to sit up against the box, too, looking embarrassed. "S-sorry sir." He stammers softly, head locked against his chest as he stares down at his hands. Sam glances up at Toby to make sure Toby isn't going to start yelling before moving to sit on top of a box. Parker sits diagonally from Toby and Sam, behind his desk, as watching them both intently. Toby opens his mouth to speak but Parker cuts him off. "They know, don't they." He whispers softly. Toby wishes he could say no, wishes he could say CJ was mad about a spelling error in a speech as if that could ever cause her level of fury and knowing that the boy already knows. Of course he knows, they don't call him a genius for nothing and as Toby is thinking all of that but not saying he sees Parker reading his face and the boy just deflates against the seat. Toby doesn't know what to say, so he's surprised when Sam is crossing the room and standing behind the boy with one hand on his shoulder. He's even more surprised when Parker shoots the man a grateful look and realizes for the first time that Sam and Parker are something like brothers. They could be, even, with their slim bodies and dark hair although their eyes couldn't be any different. Sam's are blue and lively and full of happiness and excitement and joy and Parker's are golden, scarred and darken in the way that makes Toby think of the ASPCA commercials that always make his heart break a little as if the boy is trapped behind the bars of a cage and sometimes Toby thinks maybe he is, a cage he can't see. He gets pulled out of his thoughts when he sees that Parker and Sam are having a muttered conversation. Parker looks scared, and annoyed, insisting something while Sam just keeps shaking his head, face calm but determined. "I don't give a damn, little brother, I'm doing this weather you approve or not." Parker sighs, standing next to Sam so he can lean his shoulder against the boy's shoulder with a soft whine. Sam laughs, tucking an arm around him. "There's probably something else you should know, Toby." He says simply, pulling up his other hand to unbutton his shirt so that Toby can see the scars on either side of his chest and he sees the look on Toby's face and he knows that the other man gets it.


	2. Chapter 2

CJ is pacing up and down the halls, trying to decide if going to see Parker again would be a bad idea. In the end she decides against it, going to sit down at her desk with her computer and try to learn some more about the boy's past. She has a bad feeling that, in the future, she will need to know about it. Her original searching brings up very little, a few articles here and there in the past about the teen's graduating and subsequent hiring at the White House, but that's it. Getting an idea, CJ types in the teen's birth name, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty for even knowing it. She doesn't want to know it so, sighing, she shoves it down in the back of her mind. _I have got to know about this_. She finds a few articles from when he would have been about twelve, which she knows is the year he graduated high school, as well as a few from when he would have been about ten, about the car crash he was in that had killed his mother. He had barely been injured, according to the articles, just some cuts and scrapes, but his mother had had her neck and back broken on impact. A car had shot through an intersection and hit the driver's side of the car. She reads on, noting that the boy had been set to go to Yale before he had vanished off the map at twelve, shortly after graduating high school. She sighs, giving up and going down to personnel to get his file before returning to her office with the very thin file. There isn't much ; his transcripts, resume, a bunch of recommendations from a ton of people. She slowly scans the transcripts, noting there is nothing between the point when he graduated and when he had started at Stanford, where he had gotten his prelaw and law degrees in only three years, passing the bar exam when he was sixteen. His address on all the forms changed several times, three times in his first year, once in his second, and four times in his third. She sighs, opens up her laptop, and starts searching looking up the addresses.

Toby is sitting across from Sam and Parker, both who have looks that makes it seem like they are nine year olds who had broken the window and were worried about getting into trouble. Toby sighs, trying in desperation to find a way OUT of this conversation. He was not looking forward to any part of this day. "Guys why the HELL DID NEITHER OF YOU TELL US!" He snaps. Parker flinches closer to Sam, trembling slightly whenever Toby raises his voice. Sam stands, causing both of the other men to look over at him in surprise. "Toby, it was none of your damn business, nor is it the world's business!" He snaps, his voice angry. "My life is none of their business, Toby! Neither is Park's!" Parker is watching him intently, not ready or willing to speak. Toby throws up his hands in pure frustration, unsure as to how his deputy and his deputy's deputy could be so STUPID. "You guys, it **shouldn't** matter. And in the grand scheme of things it DOESN'T it's not like you've broken any laws or guidelines but the fact of the matter is the media is going to want to make a spectacle out of you, Parker!" Sam spins around to face Toby, angrily snapping, "Both of us, Toby. I'm not hiding and watching him get ripped to pieces!" Parker sighs, standing and shoving his way between the two men, who are now only like a foot apart. Toby shoves him roughly and the teen cries out in absolutely terror, causing both men to look over at him. Sam gets it, you can see it in his eyes, crossing the room to crouch in front of Parker, who has taken refuge behind a box. "Toby, get the hell out." He snarls quietly. Toby starts to protest, but then he moves so he can see Parker's eyes and the words die on his lips. The teen is shaking violently, hands clutching the closest thing he had found that could be a weapon, a screwdriver from a toolbox that was on the floor, in both hands. His eyes are wild and terrified, but he isn't holding the knife in a way that would suggest "attack," he looks like he's ready for a beating. Toby turns out of the office, leaving Sam crouched in front of the boy even though he is almost concerned that Sam will get hurt. He sighs, starting towards CJ's office, desperate for some advice, and hoping that she had no more bad news to give him.

Sam stands in front of Parker but about five feet away, silently texting Danny. It's not that Sam can't help the teen, because he probably could, but it's Danny who knows how to, who can talk the teenager back to where he is in less than ten minutes, without making it worse. Danny is there two minutes later, pulling off his thick coat and crouching in front of Parker so he can slide the jacket over. The boy grabs it in one hand even as he moves backwards, having at some point lost the weapon, the jacket pressed against his face as he breathes in the smell of it. It's so unmistakably _Danny_ that you can visibly see him relax, getting his head up so he can stare at Danny for a moment. Danny gets it, slowly moving forward and crouching down in front of Parker, who hesitates for a moment before grabbing onto him with both hands and burying his head in Danny's shoulder. Sam watches in silence, slumping down on a box for a moment when he realizes just how tired he is before standing up and slipping out through the doors, knowing that someone needs to talk to Toby and Parker is clearly not in any shape to.

Toby paces around CJ's office, stopping so he can lash out at the wall every few steps before collapsing onto the couch with a groan. CJ finally looks up from her computer. "Oh hello, Tobias. I take it that didn't go well?" Toby groans softly in response, before muttering, "I think I messed up, Claudia Jean. Sam and I were fighting like we do and the kid shoved between us to get us to stop and I shoved him." CJ"s head shoots up and Toby can tell in a moment that she knows something she isn't saying but he's too angry at himself to ask her what's going on. CJ finishes what she is googling with a sigh, moving to sit next to Toby, who scoots over to make more room for her. "Toby, I didn't get much from his file, but the kid's medical exams eliminates any chance that he's had an easy life." Toby opens his mouth, to ask something, but she gives a sharp shake of her head, her eyes firm and stubborn. "No, Toby, you're going to have to ask him yourself." He nods, deflating slightly as he rests against the back of the couch. A moment of silence passes before Sam is entering the room, standing awkwardly on the other side, bright green eyes locked intently on Toby. He looks pissed off at the world. "Firstly, Toby, I swear to god if you ever lay a hand on him again I will end you." Toby opens his mouth to say something but Sam cuts him off sharply. "He's fine, d-a mutual friend has him. He will be fine. No thanks to YOU." Toby nods, leaning back against the couch. "Cj, how is the press looking?" CJ sighs. "I have a briefing in an hour but I need the kid to do a press conference tomorrow almost definitely, Sam. And someone needs to talk to the president." Toby is watching Sam intently, seeing the nervous way Sam's hands are fidgeting. He quickly unbuttons his shirt, loosening his tie so he can show the scars on his chest. "It'll have to be me too, CJ." He turns away to sit in a chair in front of the desk as he unbuttons his shirt, hands shaking violently as he does so. "P-please don't start yelling." Sam whimpers. CJ sighs, moving to sit on the other side of the desk. Toby stands behind Sam, resting one hand on the back of the chair to make sure his smaller brother knows he is there. Sam visibly relaxes. CJ just sighs. "Samson why on earth...never mind, I know why, but I just wish...ok. I'll put both of you up tomorrow. Ok?" Sam nods sharply, looking relieved that CJ wasn't going to yell. "I'm going to go work with the kid on our opening thing, ok? Unless you need something, Toby." Toby shakes his head so Sam nods, hurrying out of the room. Toby sighs, slumping onto the couch, suddenly hit with exhaustion. CJ chuckles softly. "Take off your shoes and sleep, Tobias." Toby nods, doing just that as he shifts to lay more comfortably. "Thank you, CJ."

Sam is walking slowly back towards Parker's office, his steps calm and steady. Josh stops him a few steps away from the door, one hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Sam turns to glance at him, a question in his eyes. "I'm buying pizza. Do you or the kid want any?" He questions quietly. Sam shrugs, not missing how Josh had made sure to say that _he_ was buying pizza, and wondering, not for the first time, how much of his financial situation his best friend knew about. "Yea, sure. I'll have cheese, Parker likes black olives on top. If you don't mind not discussing anything, I'm sure Danny would love to sit down and have some black olive pizza, too" Josh wrinkles his nose and Sam snorts in agreement. "We'll come by in like twenty minutes?" Sam questions, taking Josh not commenting as him agreeing Danny could be there. Josh just shrugs, then nods. "Sure. See you then." They part, Sam ducking into the office to find Parker and Danny sitting on the boxes, both with their computers open writing god knows what. Sam pulls out his and sits next to them, realizing the other men are working on the opening remarks for the press conference tomorrow. "Danny i swear to god if you leak this…" Sam wants to say, but he doesn't because he doesn't need to because Danny won't. He isn't in reporter mode, not here and not now he's here to help them and Sam knows it just as much as Parker does.

They quietly file into Josh's office, and Parker grins for the first time in hours when Josh passes him and Danny a box of pizza. All four sit in comfortable silence, chomping down on pizza and filling their stomachs for what was, for some of them, the first time in quite a long time. "Thank you for the pizza, Josh." Parker mutters softly, eyes still on his grease-covered fingers. Josh smiles slightly. "You're very welcome, Parker. I figured you could use some good, fat-filled, greasy food." The smaller boy giggles softly, leaning back so his head is resting against the wall, a content smile on his face. The peace is broken moments later when Toby slams his way in, taking in the scene and locking his eyes on Danny. "WHAT is he doing here?"


	3. Chapter 3

Danny flinches slightly, moving to hide behind Parker. Parker doesn't move, but Sam is calmly standing so he can face Toby, looking him straight in the eyes. "He's off the record, he's here as a friend." Toby doesn't look too happy about it but he nods, thinking that he had already messed up enough stuff today he didn't need to make it worse. "Ok fine. Some of this pizza for me?" Josh rolls his eyes, handing Toby a slice of cheese pizza, which he gratefully takes as he sits down across from Josh. It's around ten o'clock by the time they finish eating and talking, all of them more relaxed than they had been in a long time, except Parker and Sam, who still both look like they want to run away. At around eleven Toby orders everyone home for the night, so they silently leave and go into Sam's office. Danny is glaring at Sam, who has his blue eyes locked on the ground, looking like he is trying to do everything except look at Danny. "C'mon man, you know you're going to end up agreeing so why not make this go faster." He coaxes softly. Sam sighs, but visibly deflates, letting both of the other men know that he will end up agreeing. It takes almost twenty minutes to get them in the car, with Danny driving, before Parker and Danny relax. The drive is short, them reaching the parking near the small apartment that Danny and Parker shared in less than ten minutes. They walk back towards the apartment quickly, but find themselves unable to avoid the group of men who step out to block them as they near it.

Toby groans, rolling over to glare at the clock. "Who the fuck is calling me at ONE IN THE MORNING." He mutters, rolling back onto his other side. When the phone doesn't stop ringing, he curses and sits, answering. "What the hell do you want?" Parker's small voice causes him to pause in his ranting. "Sir? I was just calling to tell you that I'm not going to be able to be at work today." The teen's voice is soft, but there's an edge of something that Toby doesn't know. He thinks that it might be fear, and that fact leaves him worried. "Sam texted an hour ago, I dunno if you got it, he's got the same flu bug I do. I'm sorry, sir." He hangs up before Toby has a chance to speak, but the older man is already pulling on shoes and a coat. He's seen Sam come to work with a hundred and four degree fever rather than not show up, he's seen the guy show up when he was throwing up every ten minutes because he had a speech to finish. Hell, he's had to effectively drag Sam home because he was sick as hell and Toby had been….worried about him, not that he would admit that.. There's no way Sam would not show up for work without at least TRYING to convince Toby he was healthy enough to. Toby can get the addresses of his employees with ease. The fear in his chest just about quadruples when he realizes that the place Sam had lived for two years has a vacancy sign in front of it. He goes back to his conversation with Parker, thinking over what the boy had said before realizing he is an idiot and setting his navigation for a different address.

Parker glances up from what he is in the middle of doing when the banging at the door starts. Danny groans, having finally finished helping Parker, but moves slowly to open it as Parker turns his attention back to what he is doing. Danny actually yelps when the door opens and he sees Toby. Toby enters calmly, scanning the small space in concern. Danny doesn't look hurt but he is moving gingerly and when he sits, Toby notices a wrap on his ankle. Sam is slumped on the bathroom floor next to Parker, who has finished stitching the worst of the wounds and bandaging them. Toby makes a horrified noise when he sees how BAD Sam looks. Parker's back is to him, but Sam is fairly visible, in just his underwear. His chest and legs are bruised badly, and his body is littered in cuts. The deep ones are stitched or bandaged, and Parker is busily finishing cleaning the last of the ones on his chest. Sam makes a whimper of shock, grabbing one of Parker's forearms to get his attention. The teen spins around, staring at Toby in fear and horror. "S-sir?" He whines, moving his body so it is in front of Sam. Shielding him, Toby realizes. Parker looks battered, the right side of his face bruised badly, and Toby notices he is keeping one arm near him. "What the hell happened to you guys?" He demands angrily. Danny is in front of him in two steps, grabbing his arm so tightly that it hurts. "Toby, a word." Danny marches Toby into the small bedroom. "Toby, we've had a long night. They...well, hell, we all, are shaken as hell. They're both in a lot of pain, even if neither of them is going to admit to it, and Parker is trying to finish getting Sam so that he isn't bleeding and won't get an infection and if you know Sam, Park already had to try very hard for quite a while to convince him to accept the help even though it's FAR from the first time! So cut us some slack, please, sir." Toby looks absolutely furious, but Danny instinctively knows that it isn't at him. He still can't keep himself from shrinking away slightly. "P-please, sir." Toby forces himself to take two steps back, shoulders slumping slightly. Danny visibly relaxes, all but collapsing onto the closer of the two beds. He's shaking from leftover adrenaline, head shifting to rest on his hands as Toby sits down next to him on the bed. "What the hell happened to you guys?" He questions, much more calmly than the first time he had asked. Danny sharply draws in a breath, but somehow Toby can tell he is going to answer this time. "We were walking back to here and we almost made it but then we didn't because a group stepped out of an alleyway and grabbed us. They recognized us, beat the hell out of Sam before Parker got on one of them and one tried to pull him off so I had to get into it and managed to get the guys off of Sam. He will be fine, he's just cut and bruised and Parker's like, a licensed EMT. He's bruised up but that's the worst the kid has and I've just got a sprained ankle and some bruised ribs." Toby is openly staring at the man by the end of that statement, looking like he doesn't know where to begin. "Danny, what on earth...bruised ribs is minor?" He questions quietly. Danny just nods. "Yea. You won't even be able to tell tomorrow, on any of us, except maybe Park's face it's bruised pretty bad. And to answer what you will ask next, yes, Park and I both live here because we've roomed together for years and we can't afford anything else. Sam stays with us when he needs to, which is pretty often. And no, sir, I don't feel the need to tell you the whole story because it's personal." Toby sighs, nodding and standing to leave the room. Parker had apparently finished with Sam, because he was laying on the couch with a blanket tossed over him and Parker sitting on the ground near his head, holding a bag of frozen peas to his face. "Oh...S-sir. Hi." He stammers, shifting awkwardly so he could stand and offer Danny one of his arms, his eyes silently saying something. Danny nods, running his fingers up and over the teen's shoulder, watching when the boy grimaces before glaring at him. "You dislocated it and didn't tell me?" He demands. Parker doesn't flinch, which surprises Toby, just nods and tenses up as Danny manipulates the shoulder, putting the joint back into place with ease. The teen doesn't make a sound. "I'm going to bed. Danny, can you show Toby out, please? We all need sleep." Danny nods, watching as Parker rouses Sam and helps him up, slowly leading the other man into the little bedroom. Toby slowly walks towards the door, glancing back at Danny for half a moment. "This is going to be discussed tomorrow. It has to be." Danny nods, retreats away from the door. Toby watches for a moment as Parker reappears and has a hushed conversation with Danny. "Sir?" The boy asks nervously, eyes on his feet. "F-feel free to spend the night on the couch if you don't want to drive home." They quickly retreat to the room, Toby hesitating before walking back into the room and pulling off his shirt and shoes, taking the blanket someone had left on the couch and laying down on it with the blanket pulled over him. He lays there for a moment, trying to digest the fact that Parker and Danny and Sam seem USED to this, seem resigned to the fact that they were going to be attacked at points in time and that idea saddens him.

He's woken around four in the morning by screams. He's on his feet in a moment, moving towards the bedroom. He can hear voices and peeks in to see Danny is still curled asleep on a bed. Parker is crouched over Sam, hands on his arms to pin Toby's terrified deputy to bed, struggling to restrain him. Sam is writhing, struggling to lash out at him but Parker looks practiced at this, not flinching as Sam cries out and writhes and twists, trying his hardest to hit him. "Shh, shh, Sammy it's just me it's Park. You're not there. I promise. You're never going back there. None of us are. Shh, easy, easy big brother I've got you." Toby isn't sure how long he watches Sam fight desperately against Parker before he finally goes limp, shifting to his side and gasping. Parker silently moves next to him, holding the older man close in such a practiced maneuver that Toby wonders how often the boy has done this. He wonders how Danny is still asleep. Parker raises his head, trying to hide the look in his eyes, then mouthes _I've got this_. Toby nods, retreating slowly back to the couch to be left alone with his thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

Danny is up first the next morning, bustling around the very small kitchen in the back corner of the apartment, the corner with the microwave and the toaster. The sound of him moving wakes Toby up, so he pulls on his undershirt again and slowly walks over to the kitchen. Danny is scanning the space as if looking can create food even Toby can see isn't there. His shoulders slump slightly as he pours four cups of coffee, which is apparently the only thing they have in the kitchen. He turns, jumping back in surprise when he sees Toby is standing there. "Oh, sorry, didn't see you. I hope you like your coffee black we haven't gone to the store in a while. Toby is studying him, sizing the smaller man up as he hesitantly holds out the cup of coffee, taking it and walking back to the very uncomfortable couch. Toby isn't sure he believes Danny's reasoning, sees the way the man's shirt hangs baggily onto his frame. They sit and sip coffee in silence for several minutes, before Danny checks his watch and stands up. "You should leave. They'll both be in today." Toby opens his mouth to protest, causing Danny to deflate slightly. "Fine. But don't get in my way." He moves quickly, especially considering his injured leg and what Toby thinks is bruised ribs. Danny slips into the bedroom, leaving Toby peering around the door. Parker is curled up next to Sam. Danny crosses the bedroom and touches Parker's shoulder, jumping back when Parker is on his feet in a moment, then moving back forward when Parker relaxes and crumples into him. "Easy, don't put too much weight on that knee. Sit down." Parker nods, slumping down on the second bed as Danny works to get Sam up. Sam is groaning in pain as Danny helps him lean against the wall, as if even that movement hurts too much to bear. Parker has grabbed a medical kit from who knows where and is slipping a brace onto his knee with one hand and pressing an ice pack into the swollen side of his face. Toby goes to the kitchen, rummaging around till he finds a mostly clean towel and soaks it in the freezing cold water before bringing it in and offering it to the teen. Parker watches him suspiciously but takes it, relaxing at the feel of it on his eye. "Thank you, sir." Toby just nods, glancing to make sure that Sam and Danny are doing ok. "How's your shoulder?" Parker shrugs, studying him suspiciously for a long moment, then mutters "it's fine, sir." He moves around Toby to where Sam is, unwrapping various injuries to check them over, and using an antiseptic solution on the unstitched ones. Sam is gripping his left forearm with his own right as hard as he can, clearly in pain, but he doesn't make a noise of protest as Parker works. He finishes rewrapping the last one and moves on, to wrapping Sam's bruised ribs and damaged ankles. "Ok, Sam, you should be good. Danny, we're out of food?" Danny sighs, nods, and moves to Sam's other side. Both men help him up. Sam moves slowly, very very gingerly, for the first few steps before managing to make his stride look far more normal as he makes it to the tiny closet. Toby stares, partially horrified by how easily his deputy hid his pain and wondering, not for the first time in the last eight hours, how many times Sam had been injured and managed to hide it.

The other three dress quickly as Toby pulls his dress shirt and tie back on, then his jacket and shoes. He peeks back into the bedroom. Sam is slumped on a bed next to Parker, Danny was across the room trying to raise his arm high enough to tie his tie. Parker crosses the room and does it for him, ignoring the muttered thank you and leading their little delegation to the door. Toby studies his face, surprised at how easily the bruise had been hidden. He looked fine, was moving fine. "Cmon, guys." They all slowly walk out of the apartment, down to Danny's car. Toby watches in surprise, wondering how nobody had ever noticed that Sam and Parker came to work with Danny. They drive him in, too, since they don't want to waste gas. Danny hops out two blocks away from the white house, answering the question Toby hadn't dared to ask on how they had managed to hide this arrangement. We park, Sam rummaging around in the glove box before pulling out a bottle of ibuprofen, downing two dry and offering two to a grateful Parker, who slips out of the car and slowly moves around to help Sam up. Neither of them is moving well but Parker seems less pained than Sam, so as soon as they're both out of the car Sam leans into him for a moment. Toby wonders, not for the first time, how he never notices it when they're in pain. But he definitely gets it a moment later, when Sam and Park both straighten up and pull on their jackets and set off into the building. Neither of them are moving badly at all and if Toby wasn't so upset at how much they were in pain he'd be impressed. They all finally get in and make it to their section of the building. CJ is already standing and waiting, watching the boys intently. Something changes in her eyes when she sees them, and she hurries all three men into her office and nods at the couch, which Sam and Parker gratefully fall onto. She sits down across from them. "You two, I'm not going to ask how you got hurt but you guys are not all that great at hiding bruises." She says, nodding at Parker's face. Sam slumps slightly, leaning into Parker. "I assume you want us up for a press conference today?" CJ nods, and Parker groans and buries his head in his hands with a soft whine. Sam rests a hand against his shoulder, eyes gentle. "Does the press know yet?" CJ shakes her head, glancing down at her watch for a moment before turning her attention back to the men. Toby is off to one side watching intently. "They'll be told in ten minutes when I do my briefing but I...um…" She sighs, looking like she doesn't want to continue this conversation. "You guys need to decide if you're going to apologize or not." Sam and Parker's heads both shoot up and they stare at her. Toby spins around, and the anger on his face surprises all three of the people in the room. "What the hell...NO, CJ, they will not now nor will they ever be apologizing for not disclosing something personal that the public has NO reasoning to know about! They just plain won't." He jerks his head towards the door and Parker and Sam hurry after him. They file silently into Parker's office, because it's the smallest and nobody will look for them here till they look in the first two. They sit on the boxes, Sam leaning against the wall with Parker behind his desk and Toby pacing angrily around the room. "How dare she even begin to suggest that there is something here to be apologized for!" He snaps, spinning on his feet to punch the wall. Sam is on his feet in a moment, stepping between Toby and the wall so he can grab Toby's wrists and push him back. Toby snarls in frustration but Sam puts himself between the older man and the wall. "Don't Toby. Don't." Toby nods, shoulders slumping slightly, and Sam releases him. "I completely agree with you, Parker and I will NOT be apologizing. Right, Parker?" Parker nods, not looking up from the computer where he is typing away. Sam and Toby spend the next fifteen minutes debating what should be said when Parker rolls his eyes and walks over to hand his laptop to Sam. Toby moves to stare over Sam's shoulder, nodding in approval at what he reads and turning to give Parker a real, true smile. "Good work, son. This is perfect for you two, I think."

Sam and Parker hide behind the door to the press briefing room as they wait for CJ to finish her briefing. Sam is pacing back and forth anxiously, Parker doing the same at his side. Sam halts suddenly, causing Parker to trip over him and land with a yelp on his bruised shoulder. Sam swears under his breath, kneeling to gently help the smaller boy up and pulls him close, feeling the tremors running through the teen's body. "Hey, take a breath. CJ said we can bail if it gets too bad, remember?" Parker gives a jerky nod, and Sam smiles, rubbing his fingers over the boy's hair for a second before releasing him. "We will be fine, little brother. We will be fine." He hesitates, then nods at the paper in Parker's hand. "You sure you don't want me to say the opening statement?" Parker gives a slight nod. "Yes, Si-Sam. I am. I wrote it and this is my fault to begin with." Sam shakes his head but before he can speak, Carol pokes her head out the door and beckons them, shooting a reassuring smile in their direction. Parker walks slowly to the podium, making sure that his gait is perfect and that his now throbbing shoulder wasn't held in a way that made him look hurt. He steps slowly up to the podium, ignoring the clicks of the cameras on the other side of the room and the people watching them. "I'm going to read a quick statement, and then Sam and I will be answering some _respectful_ questions. We do reserve the right not to answer extremely derogatory questions." He carefully unfolds the paper that had been clenched in his hand and begins to read. "Firstly, something I should probably make abundantly clear is the definition of transgender. It means someone who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. So, basically, when Sam and I were born, doctors decided that both of us were girls. However as we grew up and matured, obviously, that wasn't true. Now, there was a discussion earlier on whether or not Sam and I should come up here today and apologize. Some people said we should because we had deceived the public but we don't believe that to be true. No one was deceived when we said we were men because we are. Now, we will be asking for questions but please, do try to keep these respectful." The room explodes into chaos, everyone screaming and trying to get attention towards themself. Parker has to force himself to not shrink into Sam, who is standing next to him. "This isn't going to work." Sam mutters in frustration. Parker sighs and yells into the mic, "OK everyone needs to listen up. Now." Everyone falls silent. "We will answer questions all day we have nothing better to do today, apparently, but you all need to find a way to do this respectfully or we will not do it at all. We will start in the front and work our way back. So, Steve, question?" He casts a look a look at Sam, who gives him a reassuring nod as they both turn back to the man and await their question.


End file.
